THINKS THE EAGLES STOLE ONE
Greg Dobbs (calf) has been activated from the 15-day disabled list. “I made a lot of progress over the days I was down there,” Dobbs said of his time rehabbing in Clearwater, Fla.
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Also, J.C. Romero (forearm) threw a bullpen session today. He said he will likely throw one more bullpen and a simulated game before the Phils activate him.
UPDATED 7:34: The Phillies have confirmed that Happ will start Friday in Atlanta.
J.A. Happ, attempting to return from a tricky oblique/intercostal/whatever, it's a muscle in his right side strain, threw 55 pitches in a bullpen session this morning at Citizens Bank Park, his first action off a mound since the injury occured nine days ago in Houston. Happ, who has missed two starts, was hopeful he could pitch Friday in Atlanta. He and the team will know more tomorrow, when soreness does or does not follow today's workout.
This was a significant test, because throwing meant risking re-aggravation of the strain.
"I was a little nervous getting on the mound," he said. "I felt good, though. I felt like I still had power and torque."
Happ said that while he could still feel the strain, the pain was no longer sharp.
Regardless of what happens in tonight’s game—and Brad Lidge could be the closer if a need for one arises, but he also might not, according to Charlie Manuel today—one thing is clear: the situation has shifted from where it has been all season.
With the season over in Lehigh Valley and winding down in Reading, the Phils have added two more reinforcements, summoning lefty reliever Sergio Escalona (he’ll help with Scott Eyre banged up), and lefty-hitting veteran first baseman Andy Tracy. In an aside that ends one of 2009’s minor storylines, Rodrigo Lopez was released to make room for Tracy on the 40-man.
Here is some of what an agitated Charlie Manuel--more agitated than at any other point this season, in my view--said after the broom fell.
On his players: “I hear some of them talking, saying we’re a team that plays better when we have to,” he said. “(Expletive) the last couple years. What the hell? That don’t mean (expletive). Last year is dead and gone. We play for today.” On the series: “We did everything we could to lose. You name it, go back over each game. Any time we needed to hit we didn’t. Any time we needed to pitch, we didn’t.
On why the Phils have so far failed to show they can play as well with a September cushion than while chasing the New York Mets: “How come we couldn’t play better now?” Manuel said. “Or more relaxed now? Answer me that. And we’re sitting in a better place.” On the importance of Raul Ibanez to the lineup: “You know something? We need Raul to get his swing back,” he said. “You have to remember, when we’ve got (Chase Utley, and we’ve got (Ryan) Howard, and Ibanez hitting the ball like he was the first half of the year, we’ve got two very professional hitters standing there. In between, we’ve got Howard in the middle of them. We become more dangerous as far as knocking in runs in the middle of our lineup, no doubt. Raul was hitting the ball all over the field, and he’s hitting home runs.” Kind of a bad weekend for the team. Manuel was not without fault; it was a curious decision not to summon Scott Eyre to face Michael Bourne with the bases loaded in the seventh. Chan Ho Park walked Bourne for the deciding run. Manuel said later that he though Park had a better chance than Eyre to get the strikeout. Also, Manuel pinch-hit slumping Matt Stairs for hot Carlos Ruiz in the eighth with men on. Stairs struck out.
Discuss.
The weekend of horrors for the Phillies continues. J.A. Happ suffred a mild strain of his oblique muscle on Saturday taking batting practice, and was scratched from his start today. Jamie Moyer will be starting against the Astros. Happ and assistant GM Chuck LaMar are stressing the word "mild," but as Clay Condrey demonstrated, oblique injuries can be nagging and always a cause for concern.
Happ said he was hopeful to make his next start, but the next few days will determine that. "It was enough where I though it would change my effectiveness, and right now that's not a good thing for me or us," Happ said.
LaMar called the injury "day-to-day."
This is not good news for the Phillies, but it could have been worse. When Chase Utley fouled a ball off of his right foot in the third inning of Friday’s game, he reacted in characteristic fashion, telling no one how badly it hurt. After the game, though, the pain and swelling were enough to warrant disclosure to manager Charlie Manuel.
Utley is not in the lineup tonight (Miguel Cairo is at second), after x-rays showed no fracture, according to Manuel. “He fouled a ball off his foot and it’s swollen up,” the manager said. “He's going to be out today. We'll see how it is tomorrow. Hit it right off his bone, man. If he’d have told me during the game, I might have done something about it…It’s hurting today."
Hello from Houston, where concerned parents this week thankfully brushed back an Orwellian brainwashing, and Roger Clemens saw his defamation suit against former trainer Brian McNamee tossed out of court. Newsy week down here in the Lone Star, including a little nugget about a less controversial Hawaiian.
Howdy from Houston. As expected, Brett Myers was activated today (Joe Bisenius was outrighted to Lehigh Valey to make room on the 40-man roster). More newsworthy, Clay Codrey's rehab assignment has been put on hold because the reliever experienced yet another setback in that slow-to-heal oblique muscle. Condrey will likely travel to Philadelphia next week to be examined by team physician Michael Ciccotti.
If not for Tyler Walker's contributions, this Condrey thing would be a bigger problem for the Phils, though the team is still losing a guy who was a key contributor not so long ago.
Asked if Condrey was out for the year, GM Ruben Amaro Jr. said it was "possible," but he would not know until the visit to Ciccotti.
